Tuesdays In Templeton

On Saturday my family and I took a stroll through downtown Gardner for the Sidewalk Sale Event and had a great time.  Of course, Tuesday Girl took the opportunity to take photographs so that I could bring a fun video to you so that you can share in our experience too!  Historic downtown Gardner has changed much over the years, but it’s so beautiful to walk the sidewalk and see the local businesses and people from all over have a wonderful time together. The weather was cooperative and the train ride conductors, clowns, crafters, vendors and businesses were having a blast!

Of course I love history so here is a small bit to share with you about Gardner because after all, we helped Gardner by giving them a land grant aka Real Estate….to get them started~enjoy the tidbit and the video because I always have a great time making them and bringing you a bit of the past!

Gardner ~named in honor of Col. Thomas Gardner and the community was first settled in 1764.  It was officially incorporated as a town in 1785 after receiving land grants from the surrounding towns of Ashburnham, Westminster, Templeton and Winchendon. From about 1805, it became a center for lumber and the furniture industries, hence,  Gardner is known as the “Chair City” and “The Furniture Capital of New England”. By 1910 it had 20 chair factories which produced 4 million chairs per year.  Gardner was incorporated as a city in 1923. Did you know also that it became a filming location for the 1992 movie School Ties?

Gardner is the birthplace of Heywood-Wakefield Furniture, dating from 1826 when the five Heywood brothers began to fashion furniture in a barn near their father’s farm. Brothers Walter, Levi, Seth, Benjamin and William began that year making wooden chairs. In the early years, Walter fashioned chairs by hand, also using a foot lathe. He was soon joined by his brothers Levi and Benjamin, part-time, while running a nearby country store. A new store was built across the street from the original store. In 1831 Levi moved to Boston where he established an outlet store to sell the chairs, while Benjamin and William remained in Gardner to manufacture the chairs. A fire destroyed the Heywoods’ chair shop in 1834. In 1835 the partnership of B. F. Heywood & Co. was formed, composed of Benjamin, Walter and William, with Moses Wood and James W. Gates. Gardner was also the home of the Conant-Ball furniture factory and Nichols & Stone Chair Company traces their origin to 1762 in Westminster with the company moving to Gardner at the turn of the 20th century.

Enjoy the video and come and you can visit Gardner on the Web here

Tags: Gardner Sidewalk Sale